S Africa bans Aids vitamin trials
Page last updated at 17:09 GMT, Friday, 13 June 2008 18:09 UK

A South African court has banned unauthorised trials of vitamin
therapies for Aids, which some say are a health risk.

The High Court in Cape Town ruled against German physician Matthias
Rath and US doctor David Rasnick, a former adviser to President Thabo
Mbeki.

The case was brought by the pressure group the Treatment Action
Campaign and the South African Medical Association.

They accused Dr Rath of conducting illegal trials among poor
communities.

"It is declared that the clinical trials conducted in South Africa are
unlawful," Judge Dumisani Zondi said in his ruling.

Matthias Rath and his Rath Foundation promote vitamin pills and
minerals which they say can reverse the development of HIV/Aids.

But critics say such trials had led to unnecessary deaths when HIV-
positive people stopped using anti-retroviral drugs.

TAC and SAMA accused the South African government of not doing enough
to stop the trials and failing in its duty of care to the public.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who has controversially
advocated garlic and beetroot instead of anti-retroviral drugs, denied
the allegations.

Nathan Geffen of the Treatment Action Campaign hailed the judgment as
a victory for scientific governance, which he said had been contested
by the health minister and president.

South Africa has one of the world's highest incidences of HIV. One in
five adults are reported to be infected and an estimated 500,000
people are infected each year.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7453449.stm

Published: 2008/06/13 17:09:22 GMT

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